Passed Swimming Test! Hallelujah!
in nomine patri; et filii; et spiritui sancto amen
today's elise swim test and mummy cldnt bring her as she has a trial coming up and hv been very busy at work preparing for this.
her test was slated to start at 6.30pm but we had to be there at 6pm so i left the office early and rushed down to pick her up from the in-laws. whilst in the car, i tried giving her a pep talk and told her to say the Ave Maria prayer but she said she's cool abt the test and i replied "ok..sure no problem!"
we reached hougang swimming pool and there were already a batch of boys and girls that were in the midst of taking their test and elise and i sat by the pool and i said to her..."observe...this is what the test is about". i saw a swim coach arrive and rounded his students to rouse them and encourage them and i called up elise's coach to ask where he was - thinking he was somewhere in the complex - but he said he will not be attending as he is not the one conducting the test. i hinted that there was another swim coach around doing last minute revisions with his students but he said he will not be coming...and anyway, elise has another classmate - cheryl - that is taking the test and i shld look for her. the fookin arse!
elise asked me where is the coach and i told her he will not be coming and she started getting upset and i told her that "look, there are many tests in life and this is one of the test that you will have to face....so no point getting upset or crying. just do your best and daddy will still love you. i will support you all the way during the test."
we next looked for cheryl and i guess that's when i realised that facing an obstacle became much easier if you have a friend with you as elise's face lit up when she saw cheryl. now cheryl is elise's age but she is so petite that maybe eliza is as tall as her! i went to register with the tester and elise was number "15" while cheryl was number "16" on the list. so they put on the numbered swim caps and listened to the tester's instructions before they went off to commence the test.
the first was the tuck jump into the pool and a 50m swim in your pyjamas. there were many boys and girls of different ages doing the test , with and elise and cheryl being among the youngest and smallest in age and stature - so they were one of the last few to finish.
it was beginning to drizzle and yet there were many parents who were pacing the length of the pool encouraging their children.
next on the criteria is to do a "drown-proof" drill for 1 minute followed by making a float with your pyjamas. i hv to admit i got a wee bit anxious as i saw elise's head bobbing up and down as she undid her pyjamas and then tried to tie a knot on each end of the pants. she succeeded in doing so and she then started to blow into each leg of the pant to inflate it but only one side inflated and she tried desperately to inflate the other. the tester was calling out "number 2 ok"; "number 12 ok"; "number 8 ok" and i felt like telling him "number 15 ok already" but i knew she was not. everyone swam to one end of the pool while elise and cheryl were still doing the float and the tester then threw another pants to her and told her to inflate it and then i realised there was a freaking hole in her pants and that was why the darn thing was not inflating. by this time i knew she was exhausted and altho her float was not really up to the mark, the tester was kind enough to let her go and she swam to the the end where the rest of the students were.
by this time, it started to pour and a few of the parents decided to seek shelter but i stayed on as i promised elise i wld be there for her.
the final leg of the test was the 400m swim plus a dive through a hoop. the tester conducted a final briefing and then told everyone to get ready.
elise looked at me with fear in her eyes and i told her to just go, dive and swim through the hoop and then its onto the 400m. she jumped in with cheryl and as she approached the hoop, she stopped again and looked and me and i shouted "you can do it...just go down and through!" and she dived down and swam right through. i looked up to the heavens and muttered a quick thank you and she off she went.
the rain was coming down heavily and people were scampering for shelter... but i was determined to stick through elise while she made her laps... together with cheryl's parents, who's mother was 7 months pregnant and had a towel over her head and her father who was also minding her brother who was swimming at the other side of the pool.
when elise hit 2 laps, a boy touched the end of the pool as well and put up 4 fingers - signalling he had done four laps - and i was like...mama mia!
by the time she finished the 4th lap, there were boys and girls that have already finished. i paced up and down encouraging her and each time she reach the end of a lap, i would be there smiling and giving her a thumbs up and she would hit the next lap.
5th....6th....7th...by which the pool is already empty as everyone has finished and certified passed by the tester, and there were not many people swimming as it was raining quite heavily.
when she was on the last lap, i was already drenched but somehow, a thought came over me - hey, this is what fatherhood is all about...being there for your kid when they are going through a test, and i pray that i will be there for elise and eliza when they need me to be there when they go through another test - the test of LIFE.
i can only say that when she finished, there was a tremendous welling of pride within me for my daughter that has fought and endured through the 8 laps and at the end of each lap, she gave me a smile. that was priceless!
the tester smiled and gave her a thumbs up and elise, instead of going for shelter with me, headed towards cheryl that was still on her last lap, shouting encouragement at her. cheryl's mom; dad and maid shook elise's hand, congratulating her and i waited for cheryl to finish as well. somehow, when cheryl finished, i was beaming with pride as well and gave her a thumbs up and shook her hands while her daddy and mummy kissed her.
elise and i made our way back to the in-laws and i told elise: "this is the 1st of many tests to come and always remember....offer what you do to God and do your best"
as usual, when we reached the in-laws, she ran along the corridor screaming: "ah ma! i passed, i passed my swimming test"
for once i did not tell her not to scream....she deserved to let everyone at hougang ave 3 know she had passed!
in nomine patri, et filii, et spiritui sancto amen
today's elise swim test and mummy cldnt bring her as she has a trial coming up and hv been very busy at work preparing for this.
her test was slated to start at 6.30pm but we had to be there at 6pm so i left the office early and rushed down to pick her up from the in-laws. whilst in the car, i tried giving her a pep talk and told her to say the Ave Maria prayer but she said she's cool abt the test and i replied "ok..sure no problem!"
we reached hougang swimming pool and there were already a batch of boys and girls that were in the midst of taking their test and elise and i sat by the pool and i said to her..."observe...this is what the test is about". i saw a swim coach arrive and rounded his students to rouse them and encourage them and i called up elise's coach to ask where he was - thinking he was somewhere in the complex - but he said he will not be attending as he is not the one conducting the test. i hinted that there was another swim coach around doing last minute revisions with his students but he said he will not be coming...and anyway, elise has another classmate - cheryl - that is taking the test and i shld look for her. the fookin arse!
elise asked me where is the coach and i told her he will not be coming and she started getting upset and i told her that "look, there are many tests in life and this is one of the test that you will have to face....so no point getting upset or crying. just do your best and daddy will still love you. i will support you all the way during the test."
we next looked for cheryl and i guess that's when i realised that facing an obstacle became much easier if you have a friend with you as elise's face lit up when she saw cheryl. now cheryl is elise's age but she is so petite that maybe eliza is as tall as her! i went to register with the tester and elise was number "15" while cheryl was number "16" on the list. so they put on the numbered swim caps and listened to the tester's instructions before they went off to commence the test.
listening to yada yada!
the first was the tuck jump into the pool and a 50m swim in your pyjamas. there were many boys and girls of different ages doing the test , with and elise and cheryl being among the youngest and smallest in age and stature - so they were one of the last few to finish.
it was beginning to drizzle and yet there were many parents who were pacing the length of the pool encouraging their children.
next on the criteria is to do a "drown-proof" drill for 1 minute followed by making a float with your pyjamas. i hv to admit i got a wee bit anxious as i saw elise's head bobbing up and down as she undid her pyjamas and then tried to tie a knot on each end of the pants. she succeeded in doing so and she then started to blow into each leg of the pant to inflate it but only one side inflated and she tried desperately to inflate the other. the tester was calling out "number 2 ok"; "number 12 ok"; "number 8 ok" and i felt like telling him "number 15 ok already" but i knew she was not. everyone swam to one end of the pool while elise and cheryl were still doing the float and the tester then threw another pants to her and told her to inflate it and then i realised there was a freaking hole in her pants and that was why the darn thing was not inflating. by this time i knew she was exhausted and altho her float was not really up to the mark, the tester was kind enough to let her go and she swam to the the end where the rest of the students were.
number 15 doing the "drown test"...in front of her is cheryl!
treading water
my dear number 15!
by this time, it started to pour and a few of the parents decided to seek shelter but i stayed on as i promised elise i wld be there for her.
the final leg of the test was the 400m swim plus a dive through a hoop. the tester conducted a final briefing and then told everyone to get ready.
elise looked at me with fear in her eyes and i told her to just go, dive and swim through the hoop and then its onto the 400m. she jumped in with cheryl and as she approached the hoop, she stopped again and looked and me and i shouted "you can do it...just go down and through!" and she dived down and swam right through. i looked up to the heavens and muttered a quick thank you and she off she went.
the rain was coming down heavily and people were scampering for shelter... but i was determined to stick through elise while she made her laps... together with cheryl's parents, who's mother was 7 months pregnant and had a towel over her head and her father who was also minding her brother who was swimming at the other side of the pool.
when elise hit 2 laps, a boy touched the end of the pool as well and put up 4 fingers - signalling he had done four laps - and i was like...mama mia!
by the time she finished the 4th lap, there were boys and girls that have already finished. i paced up and down encouraging her and each time she reach the end of a lap, i would be there smiling and giving her a thumbs up and she would hit the next lap.
5th....6th....7th...by which the pool is already empty as everyone has finished and certified passed by the tester, and there were not many people swimming as it was raining quite heavily.
when she was on the last lap, i was already drenched but somehow, a thought came over me - hey, this is what fatherhood is all about...being there for your kid when they are going through a test, and i pray that i will be there for elise and eliza when they need me to be there when they go through another test - the test of LIFE.
the last lap!
i can only say that when she finished, there was a tremendous welling of pride within me for my daughter that has fought and endured through the 8 laps and at the end of each lap, she gave me a smile. that was priceless!
the tester smiled and gave her a thumbs up and elise, instead of going for shelter with me, headed towards cheryl that was still on her last lap, shouting encouragement at her. cheryl's mom; dad and maid shook elise's hand, congratulating her and i waited for cheryl to finish as well. somehow, when cheryl finished, i was beaming with pride as well and gave her a thumbs up and shook her hands while her daddy and mummy kissed her.
elise and i made our way back to the in-laws and i told elise: "this is the 1st of many tests to come and always remember....offer what you do to God and do your best"
as usual, when we reached the in-laws, she ran along the corridor screaming: "ah ma! i passed, i passed my swimming test"
for once i did not tell her not to scream....she deserved to let everyone at hougang ave 3 know she had passed!
in nomine patri, et filii, et spiritui sancto amen
posted by ernie | 12:47 AM
1 Comments:
Great !! looking forward to a swimming spearhead of the future...
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